The second edition of the generations@school competition invites young students and seniors to talk about Europe

Building on the success of last year’s first edition, the European Commission is launching generations@school 2013, a competition which takes the European Day of Solidarity between Generations (29 April) as an opportunity to organise activities in the classroom that bring pupils together with seniors and contribute to a better understanding of each other.

As 2013 has been designated the European Year of Citizens, the second edition of generations@school invites teachers, pupils and older people to organise discussions about Europe, its past, its present and about what old and young can do together to build the Europe of tomorrow.

What does it mean to be a European citizen? Which EU rights have we obtained through the process of European integration? How do the European citizens of tomorrow perceive these rights and how do they intend to make use of them? What kind of Europe should we pass on to the next generation? These are just some of the topics suggested to organise a generations@school encounter this year and participate in the EU-wide competition. The intergenerational activities in the classroom can be a debate or a joint project in which old and young cooperate on a regular basis.

More than 600 schools across Europe participated in the first edition of the competition, organised in 2012 under the framework of the European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations.

The second edition of generations@school starts on 1 March 2013. Information in all EU working languages about how to enter the competition, the awards that can be won (a trip to Brussels for one school class and three digital cameras) and a kit with resources to help teachers in preparing their intergenerational activities can be found on the website www.generationsatschool.eu.

The deadline for submissions is 30 June, even though it is suggested to organise the activities on or around 29 April, the European Day of Solidarity between Generations.